Father walks out on family when his son is a few weeks old

Marie was devastated when her husband, Barry, walked out on her and their children just a few weeks after their youngest son was born.

On top of that, she lost her job during her pregnancy in May. So now she is struggling to care for her 6-year-old son, her 4-year-old daughter and her 4-month-old son. Her husband paid most of the bills with his salary, while her paycheck was used to buy the groceries and other items the family needed.

Now, she is behind on all the bills as she tries to make do with $1,012 a month. Her power bill is $403 behind, Marie said.

She has reached out to the Brighter Christmas Fund for help. She does not want anything this Christmas, but her children need clothes and shoes. Her baby son needs diapers.

This holiday season, the Independent Mail has shared stories such as Marie's to show why families are reaching out to the charity for help. Fictitious names are used to protect the identities of those applying for help. But the circumstances reported about why they have asked for help are true and have been verified by staff members who review the applications for assistance.

Donations are still being collected for this year's Brighter Christmas Fund campaign. Money can be mailed in to the SunTrust Bank on North Main Street in Anderson through the end of this year. Contributions collected this year will be used to help families who apply for help from the charity next year.

Those who were approved for assistance this year were helped with the donations readers made last year.